BLUE OYSTER CULT - Some Enchanted Evening

                                          [Legacy Expanded Edition]

Posted: 02/17/07

Reviewed by: Dirt

Category: Classic Rock / 70s Hard Rock

Originally Released: 09/78  Reissued: 02/13/07

Label URL: www.legacyrecordings.com

Artist URL: www.blueoystercult.com

Along with Ted Nugent’s Weekend Warriors and .38 Special’s Wild Eyed Southern Boys, Blue Oyster Cult’s Some Enchanted Evening were the albums that had my ear in my early years of high school.  But there was something extra special about Some Enchanted Evening because it captured my attention the most.  The eerie sounding music, the grim reaper artwork, and BOC’s logo (patterned after the astrological symbol of Saturn/Cronos and called the cross of questioning) pulled me in.  I still remember playing the cassette in my boom box in the back of the school bus as I traveled to my high school away tennis matches.

Some Enchanted Evening was the second live album from BOC.  While their first, On Your Feet Or On Your Knees, was a double live album, Some Enchanted Evening was limited to only seven songs.  While exceptionally short, the power, originality, and aura of BOC is captured in songs like “E.T.I.” and “Astronomy,” and in legendary classics “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” and the ode to everybody’s favorite Japanese monster, “Godzilla.”  Even covers of MC5’s “Kick Out The Jams” and The Animal’s “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” came off so good that I never saw them as covers.

Now, almost thirty years later, Legacy Recordings has remastered the recording and expanded the album’s length and packaging.  To right the wrong of the original release’s brevity, seven additional previously unreleased live tracks have been added “(ME 262,” “Harvester Of Eyes,” “Hot Rails To Hell,” “(This Ain’t) The Summer Of Love,” “5 Guitars,” “Born To Be Wild,” and an alternate version of “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place”).  While the original seven songs were recorded in 1978 in Atlanta, GA, Little Rock, AR, and England, the newly added songs were culled from concerts in Rochester, NY (12/31/77), Detroit, MI (1/30/78), Boston, MA (1/31/78), as well as the previously mentioned Little Rock show.  The tracks flow seamlessly so it’s impossible to tell that they’re from different performances.  The cd booklet is filled with pictures of the band from that time period and liner notes penned by Lenny Kaye (rock historian, as well as Patti Smith’s guitarist).

An additional highlight of the re-packaged Some Enchanted Evening is the inclusion of a DVD of a 1978 concert performance from The Capitol Center in Landover, MD.  While BOC bootleg video collectors are surely familiar with this one, it’s great to see that it has been given an official DVD release as part of this package.  The video is very clear, especially considering that it's from the late 70s, but don't compare it to modern day releases.  The audio is clear but don't expect a 5.1 surround sound mix.  Fans will love seeing Buck Dharma in his white suit and all its disco glory - not very rock n' roll but his guitar skills make up for his poor fashion sense.

The Bloody Truth:  Classic rock radio makes it seem like Blue Oyster Cult only penned three songs – “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” “Godzilla,” and “Burnin’ For You.”  Fans know that BOC have much more to offer than that.  BOC has a catalog rich with interesting material, and it’s great to see that Legacy Recordings is dedicated to giving the band’s catalog new life.  Some Enchanted Evening was the album that got me into BOC, and to this day, I think it includes the best version of “Godzilla” (Eric Bloom’s Japanese is top notch here!) that I’ve ever heard.  This expanded edition is smartly packaged and revamped, and will certainly thrill fans of classic rock and Blue Oyster Cult.